Six Souls
by auraspirit157
Summary: The blood of dragons runs through more then one hero's veins. Six friends find out together that the fierce world of Skyrim needs more then one savior.
1. Chapter 1

**So, imma gonna try this out.**

**First, some warnings:**

**This story is going off the basis of the main storyline, nothing too different. I might change a few bits here in there to help the plot, but there should only be one major change…hopefully.**

**The characters I create for said story are basic, possibly completely horrible interpretations of friends I talk to **_**far **_**too much on my Xbox. Take from that what you will, but I promise that they won't be completely arbitrary and ridiculous. I want to at least make this readable. **

**Finally, and this is mostly to friends mentioned earlier, I am not responsible for: Slaughtering of description, favoritism, OOC reactions, or an excessive amount of injury to one of you. Again, got to have that substance.**

**To anyone else, hope you like it. Last thing, I'm serious. The names of my characters are gonna be a bit strange, but they are shortened versions of Xbox usernames. Take from THAT what you will as well. **

**OH! And I don't own Skyrim or any of that other junk. **

**Chapter 1**

The chilled breeze carried ash from the burning buildings of Helgen, the smell of fiery oak and brimstone accenting the air. The great beast that caused the destruction flies overhead, screaming into the contrasting blue sky with fury and triumph of his desolation. Beneath his expansive shadow, two wood elves emerge from behind a small cluster of boulders, watching with awe as the beast disappears into the distance.

"I think it's gone," The shorter of the two says, standing straight and shielding her eyes from the sun as she looks across the sky, "A dragon…I can't believe it."

"I'm just happy we aren't firewood," The other says, brushing bits of ash off her bronze skin. She looked ahead to her sister, "Two days in this blasted territory and we were already almost killed twice. Spirit, we have the worst luck,"

Spirit dropped her arm, shrugging with an unusually casual nature, "I couldn't really expect anything less. Although, that was a bit of overkill for our third day on our own."

Something suddenly occurs to Spirit's elf companion, who frowns at its appearance and asks her sister with a course worry in her voice, "Do you think the others got out alright?"

This question seems to erase whatever relief the two shared after the disaster that befell the Imperial Helgen. For, unfortunately, they had not been alone on their journey through the unknown lands. They were with a party of four childhood friends, all of whom were captured with the two elves in a sudden ambush of soldiers. All were carted with a group of strangers to Helgen, where they were to be unfairly executed. Then, in an experience that will probably never be repeated, the dragon came, snarling and foreboding, laying waste to the town and all its inhabitants. The sisters managed to escape with a couple soldiers wearing blue, but their friends had scattered. There was no way of knowing if they were safe, or met the same grim fate as many in the town.

Spirit continues indignantly down the dirt path present near them, and tries to keep a sense of levity in her tone, "I'm sure they got out. You know them; they can't die _that _easily."

The sister, Aura as she was called, hurries after her sister, easily sensing her struggle to keep the situation in the light, but ignores it, "Yeah, you're right. I'm sure they are fine. We just have to find them. They couldn't have gotten that much farther than us."

The duo walk side by side, exchanging a few words here and there about the frosted air of the forest. When they had been captured, all the material they had brought from their homeland was taken, leaving them only with burlap rags. Spirit had managed to take a simple longbow and iron arrows off a corpse, but that was all. To retain the measure of hope, Spirit decided not to reveal her immense displeasure she felt about having such little to their names. She knew, however, the Aura was always aware of how she was feeling, and felt no regret in not expressing it directly. It was abundantly clear to herself that Aura felt a similar irritation. Mutually, they felt weak and alone.

After a few minutes of silent walking, the sisters come across a circular platform half-ravaged by thick tree roots. On three different sides stood smooth, tall stones. Deep grooves in their faces showing intricate designs. One portrayed a hooded man wielding two daggers, another was what looked like a mage holding a staff, the last a heavily armored man gripping a sword. The three stones glisten in the sun with a strange power.

"Oh!" Aura exclaims, moving closer to the formations with a smile, "The Guardian Stones, these are the things dad told us to find before we left town. They are supposed to help you."

"Really?" Spirit says with minor curiosity, crossing her arms as she examines the stone depicting the hooded man. She felt an attraction to the power that it reflected, "So, you just touch it, right?"

"Yeah," Aura affirmed with a nod of her head, "I think they help you develop skills faster…like magic or…how to swing a sword properly."

"There is a 'proper' way to swing a sword?"

"Apparently."

Spirit looks back at the stone, and reaches out to touch the smooth surface when a shout suddenly reverberates from among the trees. The sisters' ears perk, and both turn to the origin of the sound, that seems to be beyond on of the many hills.

"Sounds like a fight," Aura says, "Bandits?"

"We better hope so," Spirit says back, pulling the bow from her back, "We need _some _things before we continue on."

Aura wasn't surprised to this. She is certainly aware of the danger they are both in, but they also learned as a young age the importance of material value. Especially, _other people's _materials and _their _value. Although, Aura was not one to steal unless it be absolutely necessary. Her sister, on the other hand, took it upon herself to take anything she deemed 'necessary'. Some may call that as immoral, but Aura knows from experience that Spirit is far more willing to delve into a task she would never be able to accomplish, and be successful. Sometimes, morality could get in the way when they needed to survive.

Spirit begins to walk up the hill, looking back at Aura, who remembers the task at hand and follows her. With one look at Spirit's peculated bow, Aura raised her hands, concentrating. He fingers are wrapped into a thick web of black and purple, until the ethereal image of a bow appears. With a sigh, the elf grins at her sister, "Bet you with you had learned Conjuration _now." _

Spirit rolls her eyes, "You know what happened when I tried. You can keep that magic to yourself. I prefer things that are actually tangible."

"So you smashed up a few windows, it wasn't _that _bad!" Aura tries in vain to capture her sister's interest in the Arcane Arts even with her full understanding that she would never be hooked. She even prefers to be even slightly different from her sister, especially when she could so something better than her.

"Come on, and be quiet. Whatever is going on back there is getting worse," Spirit says in a lower voice, and crouches down, creeping the rest of the way up the hill with minimal noise.

On the crest of the hill the two stand, looking down at a small encampment littered with leather tents and recently suppressed bonfire. On the edge of the camp, a mass of figures tousled around, swinging swords and axes. One large figure stood out immediately to the elves with a heat of excitement, one wielding a half-charred broadsword.

"Caliber!" Aura shouts, not being able to help herself. Luckily, the bandits were still engaging in a fight with Caliber, one of their lost friends. The companion seemed to notice though, looking up at the sisters with a sudden, horribly ill-timed grin. He shoves passed the group of bandits with noticeable ease toward them. One bandit gets himself up quickly, and charges at Caliber.

"Behind you!" Spirit yells, swiftly pulling back an arrow and firing. The iron easily pierces through the bandit's fur armor, leaving him to crumble onto the dirt. Aura is quick to react, dispatching another enemy with a blue-grey arrow. Caliber turns, swinging the heavy sword with crushing efficiency, finishing off the last two in splattered blood.

"By the Nine," Spirit sighs, setting down her bow, "That was a bit scary."

Aura turns to agree with her sister, but her eyes widen suddenly, "_Spirit!"_

A Nord bandit appears from behind a tree, darting to Spirit with a cry of rage. The elf jumps back, instinctively throwing up her arms as if they could shield her from the oncoming steel. However, in a split second there was a thump, and silence. She looked up, seeing a new figure between them, with a dagger digging deep into the Nord's chest.

"Oh!" Caliber shouts from down the hill with unrealistic cheerfulness, "There you are, Zed! I thought you ran!"

Zed. Another one of the sisters' four friends. Spirit could see that now, as the young man ripped the dagger away and let the corpse fall on the ground unceremoniously. He turns to the sisters with a sheepish, but happy smile, "Glad to see you two still alive."

"You too," Spirit says, still flustered as she glances at the body, "Thanks…"

"Oh, no problem," Zed shrugs, walking past them and sliding down the hill to Caliber who quickly lifted both elves off the ground in a happy embrace.

"I knew you two weren't dead yet!" He says with a large, joyful grin.

Caliber is a large, broad shouldered young man whose height and massive shadow intimidated many from a simple glance. However, he held the very definition of a gentle giant, carrying kindness and an unbreakable sense of loud cheerfulness. He was always the one to keep the party in a good mood. Currently, a most-likely stolen helmet covered his mop of shaggy brown hair any round face. The most they saw was happy blue eyes and a goofy grin.

Zed, on the other hand, was far more concealed. He was a similar age to Caliber, but lean and athletic in structure. His skin and hair were a few shades darker and a thin beard spotted his face. Opposite to Caliber, Zed tended to be a quiet sort, only making place in a conversation to speak something witty or important. Other than that, he keeps to himself.

"How did you two get out?" Aura asks.

"Caliber smashed through a collapsed part of the wall. We got into the forest and waited till all the noise stopped," Zed explains, pointing up the hills in the distance, "We saw smoke while we were wondering around there and got to this camp."

"Then you guys showed up," Caliber finishes, a smile still resonating. He thinks of something, and asks, "Hey, did you see Grim and Owl at all?"

The sisters frown, shaking their heads. That means there is still a possibility that the four have lost dear friends. But, no one spoke again about it.

Spirit wanders away from them, looking through the tents for something valuable. A chest sat in one of the tents that the elf took no time to flip open. A small coin purse and an amethyst lay among extra blankets, arrows, and bits of armor. The others began snooping about the dead and their belongings. When they were through, they found around five hundred in gold coins and armor for one and a half of them.

"Well, that's disappointing," Aura says with a sigh, "But we can at least survive the next few days."

"We think there is a small town down the path, a signpost we found said 'Riverwood'," Caliber informs helpfully.

"Then lets head down there, hopefully there is an inn we can stay at," Spirit says, looking dismally at the pitiful earnings they had acquired. With a new objective, the four begin their trek to Riverwood.

As the party returns to the path, however, Aura spots the formation of rocks they had seen before. "Oh, we haven't done this yet."

Caliber bounds over to the stones first, "Right! These are those Guardian things, the ones in that book." In an instant, the large man turned and slammed his palm on the stone depicting the armored soldier. The stone comes to life, the grooves lighting up in a soft white-blue glow and shooting a beam into the sky. The four watch with a brief awe before the stone became dormant again.

Spirit, who walks up next, touches the stone of the hooded man gently, letting the same process happen again. Her sister, briefly trying to decide, chose the stone of the mage. Zed, looks at all three stones with an expression of indecision. He walks to the armored man stone, touching it. As the stone glows, Spirit looks at Zed with surprise.

"I was pretty sure you'd choose the thief," She says. Zed was quiet, he could easily become a thief like her but he never seemed interested.

Zed shrugged, "I don't need help with that."

With their new-found guardians, the four continue down the cobblestone path, the frosted wind blowing gently in their wake.


	2. Chapter 2

**So I hope there are people who like this. I certainly like writing it **

**Chapter 2**

Riverwood is a small village that hugs a wide river and logging mill. A short cobblestone wall borders the town and offers little protection. The sparse inhabitants speak about the black mass that took the sky for its own. The party enters as dusk was fast approaching. On the way to the town they stopped at a mine guarded by a bandit and promptly plundered its contents which Spirit carries with the protection a mother gives her child.

"Looks like there is an inn over there," Aura points out, gesturing to a slightly larger building near the blacksmith.

"I'm not all that tired, actually," Caliber informs the party, almost unconsciously drifting toward the blacksmith, "I'm going to see how this guy's doing."

Caliber jogs toward the forge with unnatural energy. The other three look at one another with stifled smiles. Zed crosses his arms, saying, "He does realize we barely have enough money for one ingot right?"

Aura watches as the blacksmith gives Caliber some pieces of leather. He seems to be getting instructions on how to make something. "I don't think that's what he wanted. I'll go over there too actually, I need some help with smithing…and I'll make sure he doesn't hurt himself."

When her sister walks away Spirit looks at Zed, "You want to check out the store over there?"

Zed smirks, "Depends what you mean by 'check it out'."

Spirit returns her friend's smirk, if a bit more mischievous, "You have your definition, I have mine," she says, and walks toward the shop. Zed follows behind her, chuckling quietly. The two enter the small shop, and are welcomed with arguing.

A woman stands near the fireplace, arms crossed with narrowed eyes on the man behind the counter, "…Well _someone_ has to do something!"

"I said no! No adventures, no theatrics, no thief chasing!"

Thief chasing? Spirit immediately becomes interested. She glances at Zed, who also seemed to become more intrigued. He walks up to the counter, causing the store owner to turn with a flustered expression on his face.

"I don't know how much you heard but it's nothing," he clears his throat, "we still have plenty to sell."

"What were you two arguing about?" Zed inquires, leaning against the counter. Meanwhile, Spirit looks around the shelves, she taps Zed's shoulder, who slips the knapsack he had taken from the bandit camp off his shoulders and handing it to her. He continues to wait for the man's answer with patient eyes.

"Um, yes…we might have had a bit of a…break in…" The man mutters under his breath, embarrassed. He raises his voice, "They didn't steal much though; they were only after one thing. An ornament, solid gold in the shape of a dragon's claw."

Zed glances at Spirit, now next to him, obviously hooked as soon as she heard gold was involved. So much in fact, he wonders if she plans on stealing it herself.

"We could get it back for you," Zed offers.

"Really?" The man says, reinvigorated. He glances up to the loft above them, where the woman before had retreated to. He lowers his voice a bit, "I have some coin coming in from my last shipment. It's yours if you get my claw back."

The man's efforts to be discreet were in vain, as the woman came to the middle of the staircase, giving her input in an instant, "If you're going to send strangers to get it done, then I'm helping."

"Oh no, you're not going with them to Bleak Falls Barrow."

The two begin to argue again, prompting Zed to leave with Spirit. As they exit, Spirit smiles, "Guess we have a quest." The two walk toward the forge to meet with the others.

"And we'll get paid for it, we need the coin…" Zed resolves, looking down the road toward the barrow looming on the mountains.

"What coin?" Caliber calls from the forge, pausing in mid-swing of a hammer on an anvil. Aura looks up from the sharpening wheel, a newly formed iron dagger shining in her hands.

Zed explains as they approach, Spirit finding herself drifting toward the inn. She feels the fatigue of the day's events prior getting to her as the sun begins to set on the horizon.

"Do we have to go now?" Aura groans, looking distantly at the descending sun, "I mean, we _just _escaped bandits and a _dragon." _

"Of course not now, but tomorrow." Zed affirms, following Spirit just as she enters the inn.

The large fireplace in the middle of the inn provides much needed warmth to the party. They rest but the flames, spending a small bit of gold on food and beds before falling asleep for the night.

_**-You awake feeling well rested-**_

"You'll have to follow this path across the bridge. It'll lead you right up the mountain to the ruins. Be careful, there will probably be bandits or wolves along the way." The woman from the shop, whose name was discovered as Camilla, says, pointing down the path.

"We'll be cautious, thank you," Aura says kindly, looking at the others, who nod in agreement. The party had spent the morning collecting leather for armor, if a little poorly crafted, it still offers much more protection than rags.

"Alright! Let's go get this claw, easy right?" Caliber says with a grin.

"Easy if nothing goes wrong," Spirit sighs, "And something will definitely go wrong."

The trek up the path was a long one. Some wolves had attacked them early on their journey and another bandit camp stood in an abandoned tower closer to the top. When they finally reached their destination, the fortress stared down at them with its towering, dark arches half concealed in fog.

"Looks pretty spooky," Zed says with an air of sarcasm. It was hard for him to be frightened anymore, even with a building so foreboding.

Spirit point up the stairs, "Another round of bandits up there, must be from the same group as earlier."

Caliber raises his sword with the same amount of zeal he had from the beginning of the journey, "Then let's get going!" he runs ahead, zigzagging around arrows that begin to fly in his direction.

Spirit chuckles, pulling out her bow, "He's gonna get himself killed."

"It'll take a lot more than arrows to kill Caliber," Aura says, conjuring a bow as well, shooting off a bandit aiming at Caliber. Zed already makes his way up the stairs, dancing around two bandits easily only to dart back, stabbing one in the back. Spirit comes behind the other, smacking the side of the bandit's head with the butt of a dagger, looking at Zed.

"Thanks," He says.

"No problem."

Both turn suddenly as they hear a scream. Aura sat in the snow, holding her conjured bow up, blocking the sword of a particularly large bandit. A long, crimson cut could be seen on her leg. Spirit's eyes widen, shoving past Zed toward her, slowing to aim her bow.

_"Get away from her!" _Caliber shouts from nowhere, appearing behind the bandit, slamming his bastard sword into his side, knocking him clear off his feet and down the stairs. Spirit drops her bow, watching the half-split man roll down the massive steps.

"That was effective," Zed says blankly.

Caliber holds out a blood-splattered hand to Aura, the grin returning to his face, "_I _was gonna get killed, right?"

"Spirit was the one that said that, not me," Aura says, but doesn't return the smile. She pulls herself up, leaning against Caliber and looking at her lifted leg, "That jerk cut up my leg."

Spirit kneels by her sister, ignoring the spike of cold in her knees from the snow. She slips the knapsack off her back and opens it up. A pile of potions sits in it.

Aura stares at the bundle, looking up at her sister with a stifled smile, "So, got all that for free, did you?"

"Yeah, they were real nice there," She answers, pulling out a small red potion, holding it out to her. Aura takes it thankfully, drinking it down quickly. The cut slowly closes, leaving only a small trail of blood. She shakes it, satisfied.

"Well, that's over with. Let's keep going, its cold out here…" Zed says, going to the large doors, "Hey, Caliber…"

"Got it!" Caliber runs over, pulling the door open easily. A dust filled, hallow wind flew past them into the world. A torch-lit, crumbled path awaited them.

Spirit and Aura took a long breath simultaneously, looking at one another. Spirit says, "You all ready?"

"What kind of question is that?" Caliber asks, almost appalled, "Of course we are!"

Zed merely nodded, walking through the door without another word. Caliber bounded after him along with Aura, but Spirit stops her, grabbing her arm. Aura looks over, and is pulled into a tight hug.

"Don't _ever _do that to me again," Spirit says quietly.

Aura says nothing, but hugs her back. She then pushes her back playfully, backing into the dungeon with a grin, "Won't happen again, sister." She turns, running after the boys. Spirit's lips twitch up, following after them.

A few bandits still litter the tomb as Spirit and the others trek through, silently taking them out to avoid any further injury. The ruins smell of old moss and corpses, ancient Nordic carvings traced on the walls that Spirit didn't recognize.

"This place smells of death," Aura mutters distastefully, wrinkling her nose.

"Well it _is_ a tomb. What did you expect, the fresh sent of mountain flowers?" Zed comments, spinning some pedestals with intricate animal carvings upon them, glancing up above the locked gate to see what combination is correct.

"Can't it? This is where you put your dead! I would hate to be buried in a place like this," Aura continues, moving away from one of the shelves of wrapped up corpses.

"We leave them here so they can rest in peace, you can't expect us to come back to tidy up the place," Zed says, looking at the dead with little emotion or interest.

Caliber is looking intently at the carvings on the walls, suddenly looks at the sisters, "Have you two ever heard of the Dragonborn?"

The two frown, confusion setting in, "Never heard of that. I suppose it has something to do with dragons, though," Spirit guesses with a shrug.

"It's an old legend, really old," Zed says, "My father used to tell me the story all the time when I was younger. A person born with a dragon soul. Someone who can learn dragon tongue, and—"

"And use Thu'um, like shooting _fire _from your _mouth!" _Caliber laughs, taking a deep breath and releasing in loudly in an attempt to simulate the so-called fire breath.

Aura laughs, "Is there even such a thing as a Dragonborn?"

"Not that we know of," Caliber says in a disappointed tone, "But with dragons like this flying around, maybe there will be one day." The party reached a hallway crowded with cobwebs. They push them back with minor irritation as they pass, but the concentration of the webs became more prevalent.

"Does anyone notice that these webs are getting bigger?" Spirit asks, looking around at the thickly woven string.

Zed moved under one web, "You aren't the only one, Spirit," He points at a doorway completely blocked by web, "Guess we have to do some slicing."

_"HELP!" _A voice shouts from beyond the web, "_I don't want to die here!"_

At the sound of the cry for help, Aura runs to the left of the web-covered door, looking through a mess of thick vines to the other side, "There's a man stuck in the webs!"

"How'd he manage that?" Caliber inquires in the midst of slashing down the web blocking their way. It doesn't take him long that break through, slicing the last of the web and walking through the door.

Beside her, Spirit glances at Zed, who looks into the room with suspicion. Suddenly his eyes widen, running into the room and tackling Caliber out of the way just as a giant spider drops down from the ceiling, spraying web-wrapped corpses onto the walls. Aura and Spirit run into the room, baffled by the sheer size of the arachnid. They had heard of how big Frostbite Spiders could become in Skyrim, but they didn't imagine they'd be as big as this one is.

"By the Nine!" Spirit shouts, pulling the bow off her back and quickly shooting an arrow at the creature, "That is the biggest damn spider I've ever seen!"

"Don't let it come near me!" the man encased in web cries, shaking frantically in attempt to free himself from his bonds.

"Shut up! We're working on it!" Zed growls, rolling away before the spider can bite him. He pulls out a dagger, slashing at its legs, staining his armor with blood and venom. The creature arches back, swiftly moving forward and knocking Zed back. Caliber comes between them, slashing at the spider's head with great strength, making it crawl backwards after the blow.

"Yeah, back up!" He shouts, stepping forward and slicing off one of the monster's massive legs. A loud hiss escapes it, arching back before falling back on the webbed floor, motionless.

The four let out one breath, staring at the dead thing with relief. Spirit slips her bow on her back, asking breathlessly, "You think it's actually dead?"

Caliber pokes the carcass with the tip of his sword, "I think so."

"Great! You all killed it, now get me out of this mess!" The man in the web commands with far less desperation that previously. Zed goes to him first, a skeptical look present.

"How exactly did you get to this state in the first place?" He asks.

"That doesn't matter, you're here for the claw, aren't you?" He surmises accurately.

"You're the one that stole it?" Aura asks with a frown, "Why did you come here?"

"Yes, I know how it works! The claw, the markings, the door in the Hall of Stories, I know how they all fit together. Just get me down from here and we'll find the treasure the Nords have hidden there. " He offers with a large smile.

"Well alright!" Caliber says, beginning to saw through the web.

Spirit leans over to Zed, "Do you actually believe that he's going to help us—"

Zed puts a finger to his lips, and Spirit quiets, a small smile replacing her suspicion. Caliber doesn't take long to slice off the rest of the web, releasing the man. His feet barely touch the floor before he bolts down the hall, laughing.

"Hey!" Calibers shouts, but Zed grabs his arm.

"I'll give him five minutes, and that's pretty generous," He says, and continues to walks leisurely in the same direction. The sisters look at one another with similar amused looks and walk after him. Caliber follows from behind with a disappointed expression.

It took less than five minutes for the party to come across the man again, sword in hand, slashing back at four walking corpses. "Get back!" He shouts, swinging the sword around awkwardly. He is backed up into a small hall connecting rooms.

"Huh, odd," Zed says with little sympathy, wandering to a small circular panel on the ground, "That's a lot of drauger you got there."

"Help me!" The man shouts, blocking a sword from one of the zombies.

Zed smiles, a cold look in his eyes, "Sure!" He says cheerily, stepping on the panel. A spiked filled wall to the right sputters before swinging forward right toward the unsuspecting man. Aura looks at the floor, concentrating on the cracks covered with dirt and decay. A howling scream pierced the air, then silence.

"Well…that was a thing," Spirit said slowly, rubbing her eyes.

Aura looks up at Zed, "That was not necessary!"

"Oh, yeah it was. What did you expect? He would have tried to kill us next if we let him live," He says with a shrug.

"Well we could have at least killed him ourselves," Caliber reasons, "Not…like that."

Zed looks over at the mess of dusty corpses and blood, "Oh, there is the claw," He says, pointing to a shining object flung down the hall by the force of the trap.

Spirit jogs over first, carefully retrieving the golden claw, its surface slightly stained by the dead man's blood. She turns it in her hands, tempted to offer simply running off with the artifact. Yet she had a conscious, even if it was a particularly lazy one when it came to stealing. She hangs the claw from her belt, glancing at the journal half sticking out of the man's bag. The front cover reads Arvel the Swift.

"He wasn't exactly fast enough to warrant his name, was he?" Aura says, reading the cover over her sister's shoulder.

"Nah, he was pretty fast, just fast enough to outrun drauger…or a swinging spiked death wall." Spirit responds, half-glancing at Zed, who shrugs upon hearing her remark, "He mentioned a treasure…"

"We're already pretty far into this tomb already, maybe we can see if there actually is one at the end of this." Aura suggests, gesturing to the hall ahead of them. The party exchanges looks, but all know that's exactly what they were planning on doing.

The four continue through the winding paths of the ancient crypt, killing drauger as they rise to defend their undead home. Some, to the confusion of Spirit, could still wield magic in the afterlife. Her sister didn't share her feelings, though she assumed it was simply because she was well-versed in the Arcane.

They clear another room of drauger, coming across a hall lined with carvings. Each seemed to tell a story, though neither Spirit nor Aura knew what they told. Caliber and Zed, however, seemed to understand them just fine. "This must be the Hall of Stories. All these carvings are talking about the battles with dragons years ago." Zed informs, passing his hand over the intricate stone. Spirit focuses on the large, circular door at the very end of the hall. She approaches it, examining the mechanism that locks it, which consisted of cycling panels and a strange keyhole.

It didn't take long to figure out, as the key was the very thing they originally came to the barrow for. The golden claw acted as the key, the combination of symbols necessary to activate the door was right on the underside of the artifact. Caliber moves the panels into the correct order, Spirit carefully pushing the claw into place and turning it in two directions. Upon pulling the claw free, the door stutters a few times before finally lowering down and allowing them to pass.

"That was relatively painless," Aura says, walking onward, "It's rather silly that the Nords placed the combination right on the key though."

"Hey, more convenient for us." Spirit resolves, following her sister into the cavern beyond, which consisted of snowy paths and the occasional drauger, eventually opening up into a huge cave. Bats fly down from the rocks above them, some light streaming in from a hole in the ceiling. That's not what caught the attention of Spirit, however. It is sits in the light; a. expansive wall covered in the writings of some strange tongue.

"Wow…" her sister breathes, jogging over to the wall and examining the writing, "What language is this? It's nothing I recognize."

Zed jogs up as well, tilting his head as he attempts to read the wall, "Well, I can't read it, but I'm pretty sure it's dragon language."

"Dragon language? How would you know what that looks like?"

"I've seen it before. I mean, I know the symbols."

"Whatever it is, it's a sight to see."

"You're right," Caliber joins the three up on the platform, "I've never seen anything like it-"he stops, eyes narrowed, staring at a particular section of the wall.

"Um…Caliber? Are you alright?" Spirit asks, looking between her friend and the section of wall.

Caliber doesn't respond, moving rather unconsciously toward the wall. He places a hand on one word on the surface, muttering something to himself before the symbols beneath his hand start to glow in a blue light. Regaining himself, he shakes his head and steps back as a streams of light trail out of the carving, all of which disappearing into Caliber himself until the blue light fades and all is normal again.

There's a silence that follows. Spirit opens her mouth to break it, but the obsidian coffin behind them beats her to it. The cover bursts open, a heavily armored drauger crawling out of it. It glares at them with glowing eyes, taking in a breath and yelling some unrecognizable word, an invisible force making them all stagger.

"What in Oblivion was that?" Aura yells in confusion, summoning a flame atronach to assist them.

I don't know and I don't really care at this point either!" Spirit responds, backing up and shooting arrows at the lumbering drauger. But its focus was only on Caliber as it barreled towards him, swinging its black great sword in his direction. Caliber quickly dodges, swings his own sword at its legs, knocking it to the ground. He slams the sword into the drauger's chest before it can stand, allowing Aura's atronach to finish it with fire.

Silence again conquered the area other than a few short breaths. Spirit, who had stepped back this whole time, decided to speak first, "Okay… what just happened? Someone answer that for me."

Caliber takes off his helmet, running a hand through his hair, "I don't know. It was weird that word...it's like it spoke to me."

"Walls don't talk, as long as I can remember."

"Well this one did."

"What did it say?"

"I don't know. I didn't understand it, it sounded like a bunch of gibberish, like this." Caliber starts reciting several words in a deep baritone voice, none of which made any sense.

From the side, Zed seemed to be deep in thought, glancing from the wall to Caliber, "It might sound ridiculous," he says calmly, focusing on the others, "But I think Caliber might be Dragonborn."

_**Spooky cliffhanger in spooky ooooooooooooooooooh.  
Enjoy that.**_

_**Next chapter will come soon.**_


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is heavy on the exposition, so bear with me, it's necessary. Also, I'd appreciate some more reviews. I'll keep writing this regardless of the quantity, but I like to know what I can improve upon and what elements people enjoy the most.  
**

**Thanks.**

**Ave ad Camertem **

**Chapter 3**

Spirit wonders if she's going to have to get used to the resounding silences that have been occurring more often. Fortunately, the current one broke quickly.

"That seems like a stretch." Her sister says, glancing at Caliber, "I mean, wasn't that just a story?"

"Think about it," Zed insists, tapping his head with two fingers as if to reinforce the suggestion, "We escaped a dragon, something that hasn't been seen in Divines know how long. We come here and Caliber feels a strange power after reading draconic language. Seems like good evidence."

"Forgive me if I'm skeptical, it just seems like a longshot that he just _happens_ to be some ancient hero of lore," Aura crosses her arms, glancing at Caliber again, "no offense."

"None taken…but he might be right." Caliber responds quietly, as if afraid of disagreement.

"The only way to find out is if you either Shout, or we see you consume a dragon's soul." Zed says, "Though, I don't know if it matters. If that black dragon is the only one around, you can't be much of a Dragonborn."

"_If _he's Dragonborn." Aura interjects, determined to be skeptical about the whole ordeal. Spirit didn't know what to think, as everything happened so quickly. Caliber seemed particularly distraught, shifting uncomfortably. He never liked to be the subject of conversation, especially in this sense.

He looks down at the corpse that no longer walked, eyes narrowing, suddenly speaking out with an eagerness to change the subject, "Look at this guy! Well, I mean this." he kneels down, pulling out a large tablet that lay wedged between the drauger's ribs, "It's strange and something we should pay attention to."

Spirit takes the tablet from him, examining it, "It has some sort of map on it, and "she turns it in her hands, "That weird language is on the back."

"We could keep it, I guess." Aura sighs, resolving to drop the subject of Dragonborns, "I mean, it might be valuable and we need the money. Speaking of which…" she turns toward the large, elaborately carved chest just beside the coffin of the drauger.

Appalled by her lack of notice to it, Spirit runs to the chest, pushing it open. She reaches inside, pulling out a pair of iron gauntlets, a copper-onyx circlet and a steel dagger, "Damn, no money. I guess we could sell the circlet though."

"No we should not." Her sister says, taking the delicate crown from her, "This is enchanted, see the aura?"

"Why yes, I do see you. You're not invisible."

Aura gives her an irritated glance, "I _meant_ the aura on this. See this dark blue? I think it fortifies alchemic skills."

"Well we don't have any use for that, none of us know anything about alchemy."

"Owl does. When we find her, we can give it to her."

Spirit sighs, agreeing and taking the crown back, slipping it in her bag. She wanted to tell her sister not to get her hopes up, but it would only contradict her own. Her friends were alive, she thinks, and she wasn't going to give up searching for them, even with everything that's happened. It's always better to look on the bright side, her sister always said.

"These are enchanted too." Aura picks up the iron gauntlets, "…Looks like it helps steady your hands."

"I'll take those!" Caliber says quickly, snatching the gauntlets and slipping them on. He looks down at the corpse of the drauger again, picking up its discarded, ancient sword, "Its glowing blue."

"Frost enchantment." Aura says with a shrug, "A weak one, but it's better than nothing."

"We should head back now. We need to return that claw." Zed suddenly speaks, walking off the platform and toward a set of stairs. Spirit and the others follow, the latter two striking up a conversation about magic and enchantments, though Aura did most of the talking. Despite feeling the need to scour the barrow for any hidden treasures, the desire for fresh air was far stronger then Spirit's nose for gold.

The party travels through the final stretch of the dusty barrow, the wind howling through its earth-worn cracks.

_**Dragonborn, Dragonborn, by his honor is sworn, to keep evil forever at bay!  
And the fiercest foes rout when they hear triumph's shout, Dragonborn, for your blessing we pray**_**!~**

Spirit steps out of the Riverwood Trader, carrying a newly acquired bag of septims. She looks at her sister, who steps out of the establishment as well, "Can I count this now?"

Aura groans, "Fine, go ahead, but only because they can't see you now. It's rude-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Spirit mutters, counting the gold, sighing after a moment, "Only four-hundred, but it will definitely get us by."

Two kids run by, followed by a scruffy dog. One carry a long branch, swinging it around haphazardly, making sounds as if trying to simulate the buzz of lightning. The other had a few rags in her hands, throwing them at the branch wielding boy with the sounds of mock fire leaving her lips, "I'm going to get you!"

"Not with my ghost dog you're not!" the boy shouts, attempting to deepen his voice to sound tougher, "Get her, Stump!" The dog that accompanies the boy stops, looking at him as if trying to process the command. He lays down, resting his head on his front legs. The boy groans, "You're the worst ghost dog ever!" he sighs, moving out of the way when three armored men walk down the road toward the inn.

Spirit chuckles along with her sister. Children, especially Nord ones, were usually told not to associate themselves with the Arcane, so it's interesting to see the children pretending as they are. "Where did you see stuff like that?"

The children turn, the girl speaking first with confidence, "Two mages came through here. One of them-"

"One of them made a ghost wolf! It was great!" The boy said excitedly, stamping the branch into the ground for good measure.

"You shouldn't mess with magic, it can be dangerous." Aura says sternly, "Especially if you don't know how to use it."

"The man said that as long as you use it to deal with people you don't like, it's perfectly fine."

"That is _not_ true."

The boy shrugs, "There was a lady with him to. She hit him in the arm after he said that, but I thought it was because she wanted to say that."

A thought suddenly occurs to Spirit, thinking about what the two children said, "Hey, did the man have a strange voice and the woman have dark hair?"

"Yeah, actually. She had some kind of bird with her too! It was all white and spotted. What's it called again?"

Spirit and Aura look at each other with the same look of revelation and joy, speaking simultaneously, "An owl!" Aura turns to the children, "Do you know where they were headed?"

The kids look at one another, then point down the road they had followed to the barrow. The sisters quickly thank them despite their confused expressions, jogging down the road to the inn. If they were thinking correctly, Owl was alive. Even better, she walked with another, one with a voice that bound to belong to their final missing friend.

"They were probably going to Whiterun, right? That's the major Hold here." Aura says, stopping on the deck of the inn, "If we hurry, we can get there before nightfall."

"Yeah, in fact…" Spirit looks around, "You know, we should try to get the Jarl to send some guards here. If that dragon comes back, Riverwood is defenseless."

"Good idea, we'll ask after we find our friends-"She stops as she they both hear a crash from within the inn. She turns, "What in Oblivion is going on in there?" Spirit briefly remembers the three men in armor walking toward the inn. She moves past her sister, pushing the door to inn open just as the noise becomes silent.

Caliber and Zed stood back to back, the latter of whom holding a broken bottle of mead. The three men all lay either dead or unconscious around them, though it was unclear which. They look up at the sisters, a sheepish grin crossing Caliber's face and a rather mischievous smirk on Zed, who decided to speak for both of them, "They started it."

Spirit opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. "You know what…I'm not going to ask." She concluded, "We need to go to Whiterun. Owl is there, and maybe Grim."

"Really?" Caliber said, perking up, eyes brightening. He steps over the body of one of the men, trotting over to the sisters with new found zeal. Zed does the same, though with a more subdued demeanor. He kneels down, pulling a note from one of the men's pockets and the sword from his hand, "Guess we're going to Whiterun then"

The innkeeper rolls his eye from behind the counter, "I'm not cleaning that up…" he grumbles in a gravelly voice, going back to staring into space as if nothing happened.

_**~Hearken now, sons of snow, to an age, long ago, and the tale, boldly told, of the one!  
Who was kin to both wyrm, and the races of man, with a power to rival the sun! ~**_

The road to Whiterun was short walk from Riverwood. Other than a few wolves, fortunately, nothing else decided to try and kill them as well. Though, the travel there was rather quiet among the party in general, as all seemed to be wrapped in their own thoughts. Spirit had glanced at Caliber a couple times during the walk without saying anything. The Nord focused on the trees and the road in front of him, occasionally making an offhand comment to break the silence.

Despite the uneventful walk, the actually arrival to the Hold started the observation of a giant attack on a farm, "Thanks the Gods, I was starting to get bored." Zed says, his words being the first he uttered in the entirety of the trip.

"Me too!" Caliber practically shouted in relief, making Aura jump in surprise. He pulls out the ancient sword he acquired, running off toward the giant with bizarrely acquired energy. Zed follows him, joining Caliber and three other warriors in the fray.

"I don't think that's a very good idea guys!" Spirit finds herself yelling as Caliber and one of the anonymous fighters barely dodge the giants slamming mace. Her hand twitches toward her bow, but relaxes when the giant lets out a cry, kneeling down before finally collapsing. Zed and Caliber relax as well, invigorated by the battle. A red-haired woman, the only one of her gender among them, walks to the two, speaking to them though out of earshot of the sisters.

"What did she have to say?" Aura asks as their two friends return to them.

"She and the others were from a warrior guild called the Companions." Zed answers first, heading back down the road, "she said we handled ourselves well-"

"-and we would make decent Shield-Brothers." Caliber finishes, smiling with pride and looking back at Zed, "Maybe we should join them!"

Zed simply shrugs, already a little bit ahead of the group. Aura sighs, patting Caliber's shoulder, "Maybe we should wait until we figure out what we're doing with the whole 'dragon' thing."

The remaining party members catch up to Zed, walking past the stables and up to the front gates of the Hold. Its walls are worn and cracked, showing their age well to what Spirit assumed was the dismay of the Jarl. Two guards stand at the front gates, one coming forward at the sight of the party's approach.

"Halt, the city's closed to visitors on account of the dragon attack. State your business here."

Aura decides to speak before anyone else, "Riverwood calls for the Jarl's aid."

The guard's tone lightens a little, "Riverwood eh? Well, you better head in." he turns away, unlocking the gate.

"Thank you, sir." Aura says, nodding her head to the guard before pushing the gates open and entering the city with the others.

The open air of Whiterun is immediately recognized. Cobblestone walkways snaked around the wooden cottages, their yellow-tiled roofs giving a bit color to the tan hues that dominated the city. The blue sky, now darkening in the lateness of the day, sprawled overhead with little to no interference. In the distance, a grandiose estate reaches above all other buildings, water canals streaming from its transcending deck.

"I think I like Whiterun." Spirit says, walking forward, ignoring an argument between a woman in a blacksmith's apron and a man in Imperial armor, "There should be an inn around here somewhere."

They follow the road up to a circular plaza, market stalls set up around it, all of them advertising their wares. A woman leans against one, praising the freshness of her produce. Aura walks over, paying some gold for an apple and biting into it, surprised by its taste, "This is really good, actually."

"I get all of my food fresh from the farms outside the city, "she responds, glancing at the inn every once in a while.

Aura can't help but notice this, "Waiting for someone?"

The woman twitches, "Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess you could say that. A couple mages came by and bought from me. I might have mentioned that the Nord bard in the inn has been bothering me, and one said he'd get him to stop." She sighs, "I'm not expecting him to succeed but a woman can dream."

Upon hearing about two mages, Aura is already heading toward the inn, calling for Zed and Caliber. She pauses as an unattended jewelry stand, yanking her sister away, stopping her from picking the lock of a display case, much to her annoyance. She pushes the door to the inn open.

A fire at the center of the inn filled the building with its soft glow and comforting warmth. The smell of fresh cook meat and honey-like mead swirled about the rafters as if it could be seen. Across the hearth, a blond Nord holding a lute turns on two familiar looking mages.

"I'm sorry, but that fiery widow is mine. She just doesn't know it yet…" he coons, smiling with confidence at the two.

"She's not yours," says the female mage, moving a dark strand of hair from her narrowed eyes, "Stop this nonsense."

"What did you say? All I heard was the sound of _jealousy." _The bard smirks after his comment, winking at her.

"Say that again, see what happens." The male practically growls, flames appearing in his hands, looking about ready to fry the musician to a crisp.

The bard backs up quickly, holding his hands up, "Whoa. Hey there. I didn't mean to make you upset." He stammers quickly, "On my honor, Carlotta won't have to worry about me again."

"That's what I thought." The mage flashes away the fire he holds, dusting them off as if he just got done with a difficult task, "Let's go Owl."

"That was completely unnecessary-"the Breton stops, looking up at Aura and the others, her expression slowly evolving from surprise to utter happiness, "By the Gods, you're alive! All of you!"

"Yeah we are! And so are you!" Caliber grins, lifting Owlet into a hug as he did with Spirit and Aura. Grim is smiling as well, not really knowing how to react, but Spirit hugs him before he thinks of anything.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Spirit says, pulling away with a smile on her face, "Both of you! How did you escape?"

"We'll tell you later. Right now I have to tell Carlotta that the bard of there won't be bothering her anymore." Grim said, glancing at the bard with narrowed but cocky eyes, leaving the inn.

Owlet sighs, looking at the others with a relieved expression, "We managed to get out of the main gate with the villagers, though we separated from them before the guards noticed we were prisoners. We came here after passing through Riverwood."

"You must have just missed us." Zed says, leaning against the wall, "We were in Riverwood, but we went up the mountain to the barrow to get back a stolen treasure."

"Already doing good deeds. Guess that's what we're doing as well."

"Like always."

"Oh please, we've both done our share of wrong, all of us have."

"Well it _is _more fun."

She gives him a look, punching his arm playfully, "I hope you're not planning on turning on us. I could turn you into a pile of ash if I wanted to."

"But you wouldn't, that's Grim's job."

"He should be reassigned, I think he takes advantage of his power too much." She shrugs, walking to the door, "I think I'll make sure he hasn't burned down someone's house."

She walks out, followed by Caliber and Zed. The two wood elves look at one another, happy to reunite with their childhood friends. Spirit holds the door open, "We better head up to the Jarl's place. Riverwood needs reinforcements."

Aura nods, leaving the inn. The others wait for them, Caliber speaking above the others, "Should we all go up there?"

"I guess we don't have to. We're all witnesses but it's of the same thing." Aura answers, leaning against one of the merchant stands.

"In that case we should send the people that look the least like criminals." Owlet suggests with a bit of joking in her voice.

"So we're not sending Grim, right?" Spirit says with relative seriousness.

"I'm not that bad!" Grim retaliates defensively, crossing his arms, "Unless he's a bastard, then you can't blame me."

"I didn't say you were _bad_, just-"

"Unstable?" Owlet interjects, causing Zed to snicker behind her.

"Kill yourself." Grim responds noncommittally, conjuring fire in his hand and twisting the flames around his fingers as if to distract himself from actually getting angry.

"We should just send Owlet and Aura, they're the most reliable when it comes to talking people like Jarls." Zed says with decisive tone, effectively causing consideration among the group, then acceptance.

"Oh! Owlet! I almost forgot…" Spirit reaches in her bag, taking out the golden circlet from the barrow, its soft blue glow easier to see in the dimming light of day, "It's enchanted for alchemy."

"Aw, thanks!" Owlet grins, then lets it fall a little, acquiring a more humble expression as she takes the ruby-laid crown. She flips off her hood, slipping it on her head, "good thing it fits."

"Let's head up to the Jarl." Aura says, heading up the staircase to the palace at their summit. She looks past the wooden arches, then behind her at Owlet.

The two friends push open the great doors to the palace, slipping inside. Aura never really understood why the Jarls, or well off people in general, desired such huge doors on their palaces, but her mind didn't focus on the subject to long. A wave of warmth befell the two as they enter, observing a large, shimmering fire before them. Beyond that, the Jarl sat upon his throne, appearing to be arguing with his steward. Aura exchanges looks with Owlet, who allows her pet to fly off into the rafters of the high ceiling.

Upon their approach, a dark elf at the Jarl's side stiffens, unsheathing her sword and intercepting them, speaking sternly, "What is the meaning of this interruption? Jarl Balgruuf is not receiving visitors."

"Riverwood calls for the Jarl's aid." Aura mimics her response from the front gate calmly.

The elf relaxes slightly, softening her tone but keeping sword unsheathed, "As housecarl, it's my job to deal with dangers that threaten Jarl and his people. So you have my attention, now explain yourself."

Owlet speaks before Aura, "A dragon has attacked Helgen."

Her eyes widening in surprise, the housecarl lowers her sword, "You know about Helgen? The Jarl will want to speak to you both personally. Approach." She commands, dismissing them by sheathing her weapon and turning away.

They do as she says, hurrying up to the Jarl and stopping before him. He turns his attention to them, "So, you both were at Helgen? You saw this dragon with your own eyes?" he asks, his voice deeply accented with the Nord's dialect.

"We had a pretty good view when the Imperials were trying to chop our heads off…" Aura mutters, receiving an elbow in the chest from Owlet, "Ow!"

"The dragon destroyed Helgen. Last we saw it was heading this way." Owlet gives and alternative response loud enough for the Jarl to hear.

"So it's true then…" Balgruuf turns to a stiffly clothed man beside him, "So what do you say now, Proventus? Shall we continue to trust in the strength of our walls? Against a dragon?"

The dark elf housecarl chooses this time to come forward, "My Jarl, we should send troops to Riverwood at once. It is are in the most immediate danger, if there's a dragon lurking in the mountains-"

"The Jarl of Falkreath will view that provocation! He'll assume we're preparing to join Ulfric's side and attack him." the man beside the Jarl, Proventus as it seemed, implores, "We should not-"

"I will not stand idly by as a dragon burns my Hold and slaughters my people!" the Jarl very nearly growls, then clears his throat, calming himself and turning to the dark elf, "Irileth, send a detachment to Riverwood at once." He concludes, dismissing her upon her agreement.

"I will return to my duties." Proventus says gently, obviously not particularly fond of being yelled at, descending the platform.

Balgruuf nods, focusing back on Aura and Owlet, "Well done. You both sought me out on your own initiative. You've done Whiterun a service, and I won't forget it." He calls a woman forward, who hands them both a set of light Imperial armor, "Take these as a small token of my esteem."

"There is another thing you could do for me. Something that could be suited for your…particular talents, perhaps." He rises from his throne, "Come. Let's go find Farengar, my court wizard. He's been looking into the matter of dragons and…rumors of dragons."

He walks away toward a side room, where a man in blue mage robes read from a thick book. Owlet smiles at Aura, "That went well."

"Yeah, but I wonder what he wants up to do." Aura responds, catching up to the Jarl, who was already addressing his court mage.

Farengar turns to them as they approach, "It seems the Jarl thinks you can be of some use to me." He pauses, thinking, "Oh yes, he must be referring to my research into the dragons. I could use someone to fetch something for me. And when I say fetch, I really mean delve into a dangerous Nordic ruin in search of an ancient stone tablet that may or may not be there."

_Ancient stone tablet? _Aura remembers the strange tablet they found within Bleak Falls Barrow, then dismisses it. It couldn't be that convenient…could it?

"What exactly are we fetching?" Owlet asks, despite Aura's thoughts.

"Straight to the point, I like that." Farengar compliments, "I uh…heard of a certain stone tablet housed in Bleak Falls Barrow known as the Dragonstone, said to contain a map of dragon burial sites-"

"Seriously?" Aura giggles, "We already found that?"

Farengar eyes widen, surprised, "Really? You already found it? Well, let me see it."

"My friend has it. I'll go get it-"Aura's interrupted by Spirit, who comes into the entrance, out of breath. Aura turns to her, surprised, "What's wrong with you?"

"A dragon…" she breathes, stopping for a second before speaking again, "There's a dragon. We heard it. It's flying outside the city."

"Gods, are you serious? Is it the same one from Helgen?"

"No…no, this one's different."

Irileth comes to the entrance, a determined look on her face, "Farengar, you must come at once. A dragon has been sighted nearby." she turns to Owlet and Aura, "You two should come too."

"The boys went to the western watchtower already." Spirit says, "That's where it was spotted."

Owlet groans, "They're going to get killed! Or eaten!"

"Well we better do something about that shouldn't we?" Spirit says with the same determined look as Irileth.

Aura looks at Irileth, "Sorry, our friends come first. Tell the Jarl that. Oh…here Farengar," she goes to her sister's bag, pulling out the cracked Dragonstone and setting it on the table, "There's your rock. Come on guys."

With that, the three rush out of the palace, practically sprinting across all of Whiterun. They push through the gate, Spirit already taking out her bow as they run across the prairie of short grasses and trees. Before them they see the watchtower, several sections of it broken off and its roof burning patches of scorched earth surrounding the collapsed structure. Grim kneeled by a Whiterun guard, healing him with Restoration magic, his hand glowing a pale, pearly pink. Caliber helps another stand, occasionally looking up at the sky.

"Where's Zed?" Aura asks as they approach, looking about the scene.

"Up there." Caliber points to the ramp up to the tower, where Zed seemed to be talking to one of the guards that was relatively unharmed.

He comes down, copying the motion of looking up at the sky, "That man says his friend was carried away by the dragon."

"By the Nine…" Caliber mutters, joining the group along with Grim, his arms crossed.

"If this dragon so damn terrifying, where is it?" Grim asks.

As if on cue, a huge shadow passes over them all, making them stiffen in surprise. The wind follows harshly, as if answering the question. The dragon circles forth into view, splitting the sky with a bone-chilling scream.


	4. Chapter 4

**So...how's the weather fan fiction wanderers?** **I apologize for the delay but a lot of things have been going on and I just haven't had the time to sit down and write. I cannot guarantee how consistently updated this story will be, so bear with me if some chapters come out faster or slower than others.**

I'll try to release this and the next chapter in quick succession, but I make no promises.

**Read on viewers, read on.**

All at once, the friends split from one another. The twins retreat behind a rock, bows drawn. The dragon's cry rings out again as Grim appears next to Spirit, pressing his back against the rock with hands centered in a cloud of frost.

Grim speaks out of flustered irritation, "I blame you for this…"

Spirit looks at him, she is used to his random, unserious blame. But in terms of moments for such things, it wasn't the best. "You should really be blaming whatever made them come back."

"How do we know it was a person? Can one man or woman really bring these beasts return from years of death?' Aura questions, ducking as a blast of fire blazes just above their heads.

"Guys! Less theorizing and more dragon slaying!" Zed calls from behind the cover just beyond them. As the others agree with the statement, the dragon lands in the grass field, sending a staggering wind forth before arching its head back and blasting out an inferno of orange-red flame. From the plains grasses, Caliber barely dodges the dragon's landing. He swings his sword in defense, halting the beast's breath as it staggers from the blow.

"Yeah! Take that you overgrown lizard!" Caliber shouts with a satisfied grin. The dragon shakes its head, focusing its attention on the Nord before flying up and toward him with a scream. Caliber's smile quickly falls, "Oh Gods, I didn't mean it!"

"Caliber! Get out of there!" Owlet shouts, launching spikes of ice at the flying dragon.

"Yeah, no problem!" Caliber quickly pulls up his blade, running off behind cover just as the dragon snatches up an unfortunate Whiterun guard, throwing him like a rag doll into the sky.

"We need to get it out of the air!" Aura yells over the commotion, aiming and shooting arrows at their foe. Distantly, as if carried by the wind, a booming voice resides over the battleground.

"_I am __Mirmulnir_! Come, fight me, mortals!"

"Did you hear that?" Spirit asks, her friends nod in response.

"I didn't know they could talk, just makes them more irritating," Grim says, throwing off waves of fireballs. One sphere spreads on the dragon's wing, sieging it but seeming to do no other damage to its flight. With a groan, Grim changes his tactic, doing the same as Owlet by throwing spikes of ice.

"Where in Oblivion did Zed go?" Aura asks quickly, looking around for their quiet friend who seemed to vanish from where he was. The dragon Mirmulnir circles around, landing on top of the tower. From where she was, Aura could see Zed at the top, very close to the beast's mouth.

"Oh Gods he's gonna get himself eaten," Grim says, staring up at Zed.

"Zed get away from it!" Aura yells frantically, pulling an arrow back.

Zed rolls away as Mirmulnir attempts to bite him, jumping on the dragon's wing and stabbing his sword straight through the bone. With a scream the beast knocks Zed away, causing him to land roughly on the ground from the tower's peak. Mirmulnir attempts to fly, but fails, ungracefully falling to the earth, uprooting dead trees as it skids against the ground.

Mirmulnir lifts himself up, growling up at Zed, who looks down at him, waving pleasantly, "Sorry about that, the blade just slips sometimes!" He shouts, smirking.

"_You are nothing, mortal," _Mirmulnir shoots fire up at Zed, who quickly rolls onto the ground, pressing himself against to stone, feeling the intense heat of the flames inches above him.

Owlet watches from the side, her eyes narrowing, studying the rough, armor-like scales of the creature, she turns to Caliber, shouting, "Get on his head!"

Caliber looks at her with flustered surprised, "Get on _what _now?"

"His head is his weak point, slice at his eyes, anything that isn't scaly!" She points toward Mirmulnir frantically, "Come on! Trust me!"

"Ok! Ok!" Caliber rushes past her, jumping and clinging to the dragon's neck, shimming to his head as Mirmulnir suddenly notices his presence. Despite all the thrashing he can muster, Caliber slashes at the beast's eyes. As the struggle weakens, he takes his sword in both hands, stabbing it through the dragon's skull.

The last words of the dragon were buried beneath the sound of weapons and fire, but still seemed to ring clear in the ears of the six souls, "_Dovahkiin, no!_"

Caliber staggers as Mirmulnir collapses, jumping off just as he does, leaving his sword embedded in the skull of the beast. The others went to their friend, smiling in amazement.

"I can't believe you actually did that!" Owlet marvels but slowly frowns, "What do you think that dragon meant?"

Grim looks over at the corpse, his eyes shifting to confusion, "Ah...guys…"

The friends turn to the dead creature, watching the thing as it begins to burn in a surreal light, the fire dismantling the skin of Mirmulnir to the bone. The flames crackle and hiss, morphing into streams of blue and orange phosphorescence. Caliber steps forward, feeling a sudden feeling propelling him toward the light. The streams surge toward him with terrible force. Caliber staggers back, but stands his ground, his arm shielding his face as if the simple force may harm him. His friends feel power peak off the whirlwind, a push, strength from the light.

When it is finished, the dragon sits as only a skeleton, its dark sightless eyes staring endlessly into the distance.

"I can't believe it," A voice spoke from behind them. They turn, the remaining guards watching Caliber with widened eyes, "You're...Dragonborn."

"I'm…really?" Caliber looks at himself, as if he could spot the light that had already gone.

"You absorbed that dragon's soul; that had to be what just happened. Only the Dragonborn can do that…" Another guard says, astonished. Caliber tries to speak, but can't find the words. The guard pauses, looking between the skeleton of the dragon and the Nord before speaking again, "There's only one way to prove it. Try to Shout."

"I...uh…" the warrior turns to his friends, who all look back at him with no response.

Aura decides to speak first over the arguing guards on the subject, "You read that word on the wall in Bleak Falls Barrow, didn't you?" she looks at Zed, who leans on dead dragon's bones to keep himself upright, "You said it was dragon language."

Zed nods, looking at Caliber, "I don't really know how it works. When you steal a dragon's power, you somehow use it to Shout."

"I could try, I guess." Caliber says with a bit of resolution, staring up at the sky, "I've got to remember what the word is though…"

"You seriously can't remember a word in dragon language?" Grim mutters a little too loudly, "by the Gods…"

"Hey! Give me a break, I just kind of, sort of, maybe ate a dragon soul!"

"Well then it's not hunger that's making you forget."

"That's not what I mean!"

"Well what do you mean then?"

"I...don't...really know."

"Then you shouldn't be having a problem!"

"Seriously guys?" Owlet cuts in, her voice authoritative like a parent scolding children, "This is not the time to be arguing."

Grim turns to her, "I'm just saying he should remember- "

"_Fus!" _Caliber shouts from where he stands, a rapid wind being created by the single word. The gale staggers Grim, who keeps his balance despite his surprise.

"Ha! I remembered!" Caliber grins proudly, then frowns when he looks at the others, "What- oh…"

"That was it! That was a Shout! So you really are Dragonborn…" the guard turns to Irileth, who had remained relatively quiet, "Come on Irileth, tell us. Do you believe in this Dragonborn business?"

Irileth responds with a short grunt of skepticism, "Some of you would be better off keeping quiet then flapping your gums on matters you don't know anything about."

"Here's a dead dragon, and that's something I can definitely understand. Now we know we can kill them. But I don't need some mythical Dragonborn." She looks at Caliber with a small smirk of approval, "Someone who can put down a dragon is more than enough for me."

"You wouldn't understand, Housecarl. You're not a Nord."

"I've been all across Tamriel. I've seen plenty of things just as outlandish as this. I'd advise you all trust in the strength of your sword arm over tales and legends."

"We better get back to the Jarl…" Owlet speaks after a silence, "he'll want to know what happened."

"Y-yeah…" Caliber stumbles a bit with a quiet in his voice Spirit didn't often hear. He moves past the group of guards, yanking his sword out of the dead dragon's skull with a swift tug. Balancing it on his shoulder, he walks ahead with a distraught haste.

"I think he's a little freaked out, guys." Grim says after watching him for a moment.

"Really, I didn't notice." Zed comments sarcastically, wincing when he shifts his weight to try to stand on his own, "Someone should go talk to him."

"And someone should heal you before you make it worse." Owlet moves toward him, placing a hand on his shoulder, the soft glow of a restoration spell leaving her fingers.

"I'll go talk to him…" Aura turns, jogging off to catch up with her friend.

Caliber continues to walk quickly, watching the ground pass beneath him as he does. Aura comes to his side, having to take long strides to keep up with him. It was times like these when she remembered how short she was compared to him. He seems to notice her struggling to keep up, rather reluctantly slowing down. The wood elf gratefully slows as well, though rather surprised that he didn't ignore her, "You're more willing to talk about it then I thought."

"I wouldn't have been able to stop you anyway." Caliber responds with a shrug, slipping his sword into the sheath on his back.

"You know me well."

"I ought to after so long."

"Then you'll know what I'm going to say."

With a sigh, Caliber nods, cracking his knuckles with a nervous efficiency, "That I shouldn't be upset? This is different."

"So you maybe kind of, sort of, might have absorbed a dragon soul. So?"

"Really, Aura?" he laughs quietly, "Really?"

"I'm serious!" she grips her friend's arm, stopping him, "just because you might be some mythical dragon slayer of lore doesn't mean I'll see you any different."

"That's not why I'm freaked out. You're not a Nord, you don't know the stories. Dragonborns are supposed to be the great warriors with a bunch of bravery and stuff."

"Like the kind you need to stab a real dragon in the skull? You have boundless bravery if you ask me. I could never do that."

"Well...yeah, but you don't know how to use swords. And it wasn't too hard to climb onto his back- "he stops, glancing at Aura's expression, "That doesn't prove anything! I can't be Dragonborn! I'm not a good enough fighter!"

"I refer back to the dead dragon skeleton! If you weren't a great warrior, you'd be dead."

"Yeah, sure…"

"Why is that so hard for you to accept?"

"I…I don't know!"

"That's not a very good reason."

"…I know…"

"Besides, it could be a lot worse. I mean, what's so bad about having amazing dragon powers?"

Caliber pauses for a moment, as if mulling the comment over in his head. He smiles slightly, "I guess they're pretty amazing."

"You'll figure something out. You're determined, I know you are. Plus you always have us to back you up." Aura smiles confidently, "Who knows, maybe it is just a myth."

Suddenly a great thunder rolls in the sky, threatening to split it in two. A shout, as if from many voice, echoes in the sky, "_Dovahkiin!"_

Another roll of thunder sounds, but more softly, fading off into the distance. Aura and Caliber exchange looks after regaining their composure, the later laughing nervously, "That was weird…"

"Did you guys hear that?"

The two turn to their friends, who managed to catch up to them now that they stopped. Spirit was the one who spoke, looking up at the sky then at her sister. Aura meets her gaze, then retracts it, "We need to get to the Jarl."

_**~ Our hero, our hero claims a warrior's heart…I tell you I tell you the Dragonborn comes… ~**_

__"So what happened at the watchtower? Was the dragon there?"

Aura glances at Caliber after the Jarl's question, deciding to answer for him, "The dragon destroyed the tower, but we managed to kill it. "

The Jarl smiles, "I knew I could count on Irileth!" he pauses, frowning again, "but there must be more to it than that…"

"Turns out I might be Dragonborn." Caliber says quickly with a surprising amount of nonchalant attitude.

"Dragonborn? What do you know of the Dragonborn?"

"When the dragon died I uh…absorbed some kind of power from it."

The Jarl sits back in his throne, a subdued awe coming over him, "So it's true. The Greybeards really were summoning you."

"The Greybeards?" Aura's brow furrows, obviously unfamiliar with the name that apparently carried some significance judging by the tone of the Jarl, "Who are they?"

"They're monks that live in seclusion on the Throat of the World," Zed informs from behind them, "They're supposed to be trained in that Shouting you were doing."

"So…if you're a Dragonborn…they should be able to tell you how to control Caliber's gift, right?"

"Right," Bulgruuf nods, turning to Caliber, "You should get moving. There's no refusing the Greybeards. But you've done a great service for Whiterun and her people, Dragonborn. By my right as Jarl, I hereby name you Thane of Whiterun. It's the greatest gift that's within my power to grant."

Caliber shifts a little, uncomfortable with the attention, "I don't want to sound ungrateful Jarl, but I wouldn't make a very good Thane. Besides, Owlet's the one that told me how to kill the dragon." He gestures to Owlet, who seemed to not be quite as interested until she heard her name, "She deserves the title more than me."

The Jarl looks at Owlet, then to Caliber, "Very well. At the very least accept this." He takes the steel battle-axe from his back, a soft purple glow surrounding it, "It will serve as a badge to let the guards know who you are."

"Thanks!" Caliber takes the axe gratefully, going down the steps as the Bulgruuf starts up an argument between himself and Proventus.

"What exactly is my title again? You didn't give me much information when you just _decided_ to give me that." Owlet says, crossing her arms. A woman in armor approaches her, bowing shortly.

"Honor to you, my Thane. I am Lydia, your Housecarl."

"Housecarl? You mean you'll serve me and stuff?"

"I am your sword and your shield. I will protect you and all you own with vigilance."

"Oh uh…thanks, but you can stay. I'll have you come if I need you."

Lydia nods, walking off and leaning against the wall. Grim watches her go, "I wouldn't mind having her along, actually."

"You just want her to carry all your stuff," Owlet says shortly with a knowing smile.

"And what is wrong with that? I am way too delicate to be carrying so much stuff!" Grim defends, gesturing to himself like his statement was an obvious truth. Owlet was aware of Grim's sarcastic quips, but sometimes she truly thought he believed in what he was saying.

"So does anyone know how to get up to the monastery?" Spirit questions, looking out at the great mountain in the distance as they exit Dragonsreach.

"I think the steps are outside Ivarstead," Caliber says as he walks down to the market circle, "at least from what I remember. I haven't been in Skyrim since I was little."

"I could certainly do without the cold."

"You get used to it."

"Oh please, Nords are born with a natural resistance to cold. You could be standing in a blizzard and think it was nothing but a chilly breeze."

"Why thank you!"

Spirit rolls her eyes, punching him lightly in the arm and walking toward the inn. The blast of warmth from the place was far more comforting then the fiery breath of the dragon. Though the tender comfort of the fireplace didn't reach the still hallow confusion in her mind. She sits, watching the flames dance and crackle. The voice of the dragon Mirmulnir stirred her on the battlefield. She had no idea dragons actually existed, let alone that they could speak. The others seemed to have also heard the voice, so she was graced with the knowledge that she wasn't losing her head. However, she wondered if they heard it the same way.

"Hey, Grim?"

Grim sits beside her on the bench, munching on a piece of bread, responding to her call with a dragged out greeting, "Hi."

"You heard Mirmulnir speak, right? I'm not crazy?"

"I heard him speak, but you're definitely crazy."

"Shut up!" she still smiles though her command, "I'm being serious."

"So am I."

"You- okay, you're doing this on purpose."

Grim laughs, setting his half-eaten bread down, "You should really stop responding to me."

"Yes, you're hilarious. Can you tell me what he said?" Spirit says quickly before she gets off topic, as she often did when talking to Grim. He seemed to revel in conversation that made no sense and the confusion of the uninitiated.

Seeming to sense that she was serious, Grim shifts his tone, "I think he said his name, then started shouting fire…"

"You mean blasting it?"

"No, I mean shouting it. He would always say the same three words before he breathed fire."

"…Are you serious? I didn't hear that…"

"What do you mean you didn't hear it? He was loud! I guess it was kind of hard to understand though. He would say _Yol Toor Shuul."_

Spirit considers this, looking at the fire, then back at her friend, "I didn't hear that."

"Maybe you're the one that's crazy, Grim." Owlet says jokingly from across the fire.

"That wouldn't surprise me…" the bard from before mutters, his name being discovered as Mikael from some casual observation.

"Say that again, I dare you." Grim says with a glare, a thin layer of smoke rising from his fingers, causing Mikael to immediately retreat to the other side of the inn. Grim looks back at Spirit.

"I'm not crazy either."

"That's an arguable statement."

"Shut up! I'm being serious."

"So am I."

"You- oh." He stops, realizing what's happening, "I see what you did there."

"I'm glad you do. We can be crazy together." Spirit resolves after laughing.

"I can deal with that."

"I've dealt with it since we were little."

"Then you have a lot of experience." Grim stands, picking up the bread he had set down, "You can survive a little longer."

"I'll accept that challenge!" Spirit calls as he leaves, smiling to herself. There was a lot of worth in a good friend, especially one that made just as much sense as the world you lived in. Some levity was needed to soften the events of the evening, so the jokes were appreciated. The wood elf stands, retreating to her room with a smile on her face and a little more warmth in her heart.


End file.
